Finding the best way to Qiandao Lake

Bigger thanWest Lake, this waterfront is a new tourist magnet

How do you approach Qiandao Lake? Let me count the ways.

If you were a bird, you could fly to every one of the 1,078 islands.

From top: An archipelago of several isles forms the Chinese character for "public"; the bestway to get a panoramic view of Qiandao Lake is to cycle around it. Photos by Huang Shanjian and Qiu Guoqiang / For China Daily

Actually you can descend on more than 2,000 of them because the small isles with a few rocks and plants are not counted as islands.

That's why Canada's Thousand Islands nominally has 1,864 islands but using the same definition of "island" Qiandao (which literally means thousand islands) comes out ahead.

You can also approximate a bird's-eye view by taking a helicopter or glider, but you may not parachute to every one of the isles.

If you are a first-time tourist, you will probably take a boat tour, which will take you to a few of the most popular destinations.

Meifengguan has the highest peak, which will enable you to view an archipelago of several isles that seem to form the Chinese character for "public", gong. No wonder the half-hearted attempt to privatize some of the islands in the 1990s did not go anywhere.

Longshan Island is another vista point and there is a bell tower at the peak accessible by climbing 500 steps.

Closer to the water level is a temple dedicated to Hai Rui (1514-1587), a local county magistrate who gained fame for his honesty and integrity.

The Moonlight Island is five islets strung together with bridges, with one theme for each of them.

It is a favorite location for creating mock adventures and later taking wedding photos after you have won the girl's heart with your show of courage.

If you want to touch the water or linger in the shade of an isle, kayaking is an ideal choice.

Lakers Kayaking Club offers training, racing and everything in between.

Brother Dong, the coach who grew up in a local village, will even share his knowledge of the place with you.

You can also camp on one of the atolls or swim in the waters.

Unlike most Chinese natural attractions, Qiandao Lake does not come with a wealth of folk tales, as it is a man-made lake dammed in 1959 for a hydroelectric station.

Many towns and villages were submerged as a result, including two county-level towns.

In 2001, divers were sent down to explore the ruins and they were amazed that many relics of the 1,800-year towns, including the city wall and some wood carvings, were still intact. (They might not have survived the cultural revolution above water.)

Since then there has been talk of commercial diving. As the average depth of the 573-sq-km lake is 34 meters, there are technical challenges that have to be resolved before those without diving experience can go that deep and see the city as it was in 1959.

But probably the best way to get a panoramic view of the lake is to cycle around it.

Local authorities have spent 1.5 billion yuan to build a 150-km bicycle lane, which could well be the world's most beautiful route of its kind.

While automobiles have a tunnel, bikers can still stick close to the water's edge.

There are even special bridges for bikes only.

The brave can go up 658 meters to a peak near Dashu Town.

Bicycle rental stations are all over the city and the rates are low.

Near the downtown area is a pedestrian path. It traverses parks, piers, farmers' markets, outdoor restaurants and many popular hangouts.

Qiandao Lake is fast becoming a major attraction as a resort.

It is already a daunting task to book a hotel room for a weekend.

And by 2018 when a high-speed rail line is opened, it will take only 1.5 hours to get there from Shanghai and 45 minutes from Hangzhou - the central part of Hangzhou because Qiandao Lake falls within Hangzhou's jurisdiction.

If you think the West Lake is not big enough, try Qiandao Lake, which is 108 times the size of West Lake and holds 3,000 times its volume of water.

raymondzhou@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/05/2016 page26)